Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-07-14
Louisville C0urier-Jour,1as, expresses
the Southern sentiment on the matter
in the following WAY:

Louisville Courier-Jour,1as, expresses
the Southern sentiment on the matter
in the following way:
Nobody in the South certainly no Southern
State and no Confederate soldier, cares
nickel whether the battle-1ags are returned or
not. II there is single soldier in the North
VINO would retain them as trophies, he is well
| come to all the glory and all the display which
they can recall to his mind bring to
his heart. To US they mean nothing whatever.
Assuredly, they betoken no greater loss on the
side of the North than on that of the South,
and, to a sound and healthy understanding, il
is uncomfortable how their possession can be a
matter OF moment or concern to any patriotic
bosom. AS well might we rejoice in the pres
ervation and exhibition OF the bloody phara-
phernalia of the hospital or the rotting cere-
ments OF the grave.
All of which is very sensible. The
South has no need of the battle-fags.
We have said that they should be kept
as mementoes of a mighty struggle.
Perhaps it is better that they should rot
away in the vaults of the War Depart
ment. Perhaps the sooner they rot the
better. So far as we are concerned we
have no use for them, one way or the
other, preferring to turn our minds to
the victories that Peace has, no less
than War.
1t has been the history of mankind
in general, and no less of modern man,
that the issues of the present have
been less poten than the issues of the
past. Humanity is always genera
ton behind it's own interest We
boast of the progress and the discov-
cries of our age. So did our fathers
But why did their fathers, and why did
ours, leave so many things to be dis
covered? Because they were always
fooling away their time on just such
ancient out-of-date nonsense as this
battle-fiag cutlery.
If half the thought and energy that
has been bestowed on victory already
securely won had been devoted to the
new conquests needing, and sadly
needing to be won, the world would
be much further advanced than it is
to-day. But it seems the fate of human
beings to be always excited about
every thing else except what concerns
them. For this reason more than any
other they grovel and toll and suffer-
The moment they learn some sense
and forget all about war and its follies
and agonies they will begin to prosper,
and the prosperity will become gener-
al. What is the matter with Europe
to-day? Every nation there is imbued
with exactly the same instinct, and no
other, that animates the Republican
party of this country. 1t is the in
stinct of war. This war feeling leads
to big armies, and big army expenses.
The reuslt is that the industrious toiler
is crushed to the earth.
On this side the war feeling does not
result in big armies, because it is so
plainly evident that they are not need
ed. But it disturbs our politics, and
leads to their being cast OH lines en-
tirely inconsistent with the best inter-
ests of the country. Instead of think
ing about the matters of to-day we are
kept constantly in agitation about the
securely-settled matters of generation
ago. Greater folly could not even be
dreamed of.-Des Moines ia. Leader.